By pottie69 - 07/09/2011 05:23 - United States

Today, my social anxiety got so bad that I'm now afraid to add people on Facebook. FML
I agree, your life sucks 29 683
You deserved it 7 180
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Top comments

iAmScrubs 19

What happens if they don't accept? Or even worse. What happens if they post on your wall saying "Do I know you?" Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

120 11
DropTheDaggerxx 31

I'm sorry, OP. I have general anxiety disorder with a special hint of SAD.. It's super rough, and I know just what you mean by this FML. Rarely anyone understands what people with social anxiety go through just to function, which will prompt a lot of jokes on this comment thread. Sometimes it's a struggle to go into a convenient store. It does get better, though, I promise you this. It's an every day struggle, but it gets easier. Best of luck, OP. You're not alone in this. Wtfbbqsauce?! /I felt my comment was a little too helpful for the usual FML shit so there's some idiocy for you!

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Comments

perdix 29

You don't add people, you have to invite them. This means they can reject you and will probably tell the world about your delusional, lame invitation. Have fun! Hint: Free Internet **** never rejects you;)

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stacianichole 2

Zoloft, my friend. Works wonders.

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SnowFlakeInAK 7

I agree!! If it wasn't for Zoloft I wouldn't be able to leave my house >.

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Enslaved 36

I'm so glad Zoloft is working for "you".(: I've heard too many horror stories about it on Court TV. It's not ideal for all.

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Enslaved 36

I'm so glad Zoloft is working for "you".(: I've heard too many horror stories about it on Court TV. It's not ideal for all.

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TheRealHouse 7

Gotta love them legal drugs! Let's not actually cure anything or teach people how to cope or even overcome disorders anymore, let's just get them so high they don't care.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#48 That's pretty much what happened to me all throughout my junior and senior years of high school. I was so high on legal medication that I don't remember whole gaps of time. I also failed many of my classes because I was barely functional. Medication is a nice thing for awhile just to help you get "desensitized" and kick your butt into gear to really start healing yourself, but it doesn't seem to be practical if you have to go to work/school/function...At least for me it wasn't!

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TheRealHouse 7

I read some of your other comments and good for you for getting off of them. I don't know what you were on but Benzos are often prescribed and they have the most severe withdrawl symptoms of any drug, and most people don't want to stop anyway. It seems as though you've taken full responsibility for your situation and even if the drugs helped, it's the fact that you owned it that made you get better. congrats, and I hope other people learn from you!

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stacianichole 2

Actually, a short (9 - 12 month) course of an SSRI can be tremendously helpful with anxiety. If you tried it and didn't like it, that's cool. Its not for everyone . There ARE black box warnings for a reason.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#57 Thanks! It was definitely a struggle to get off of them, as the withdrawal symptoms were worse than my anxiety itself. I was on a number of benzos (at different times, of course, not all at once) clonazepam, lorazepam, and...A few others. I can't even remember how many! How sad is that? I was also prescribed muscle relaxers at one point to calm me down enough so that I could sleep.

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stacianichole 2

P.S. NO ONE gets "high" from Zoloft.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#60 It was helpful to me for a short time. I even said so below in some of my other comments. It helped rid me of a lot of my OCD behaviors. However, I was so relieved to get off of them because of how sedating they were. Believe me, though, I know how helpful they can be. You're preaching to the choir, so to speak. I know what I'm talking about when it comes to anxiety meds...So please don't think that I don't. I've taken a great deal.

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DropTheDaggerxx 31

I was on Zoloft from when I was 9 to age 15... Just recently got switched to Prozac. Zoloft was great for me. For me, it was the difference between crying every day before school and going off and loving it. I built up a resistance, but it was great. And I'm in cognitive behavior therapy, CBT for anxiety and I'm at such a great place because of it. It helped more in a year than meds did in 6. Anti anxiety meds work wonders. I hate people that are anti-pills and don't know shit about what they're talking about.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#65 Just so you know, I'm not anti-pills...Hopefully you don't think that. I know plenty of what I'm talking about.

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stacianichole 2

That was in response to 48. I've taken my share too. I know what dealing with side effects from medication is like, I have MS. Neurontin made me a zombie, Betaseron makes my skin hurt, Lexapro turned me into a raging bitch, Pristique made me cry non-stop, Nuvigil was comparable to crack (I'm guessing), Zoloft gave me 10 minutes of vertigo each morning, Tegretol made me feel like hibernating...Medication isn't a perfect science, you weigh the benefits against the drawbacks. What works for some beautifully is a nightmare for others. I've been on and off so many things, I've lost track at this point.

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TheRealHouse 7

I'm not anti pills at all. I'm against pharm. co making $ on normal human weaknesses by blurring the lines between disorders and weaknesses. Anyone who truely cannot help themselves or function properly without medication should not take offense to mycomment because it was not directed at you.

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stacianichole 2

Only take offense to comments directed at you...Flawless logic.

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pllamah 9

I take Prozac to help me with my social anxiety. For me I've found it had no withdrawal symptoms when i'd forget to take it for a week+. Also it has helped quite a bit with my anxiety.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#111 That's good, I'm glad it has helped you! I took Prozac at one point, but it gave me suicidal thoughts out of nowhere. So, yeah...Obviously I stopped taking it.

1 0
fogrunner 13

Hell is other people.

13 1
KrazyNstinct 4

Social networking sites are just the mans way of getting you to do what he wants..

1 4
teenylovestmb 5

Im the same !!! I have social anxiety disorder and elective mutism it sucks and no one understands what its like !!

21 1
stacianichole 2

I just read the description for elective mutism and that sounds a lot like me. I've had social anxiety disorder for most of my life and have been in many situations where I did not respond to questions like "what is your name?" Maybe this is why I hate making/receiving phone calls...

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teenylovestmb 5

Yea it means i physically cant talk sometimes i hate it people just think im weird cause i dont talk they dont understand that i cant !! :(

12 0
lover_of_fudge 2

I have social anxiety to .. it sux cuz no one understands and just walks thru u like you are invisible ;(

4 0
mandafager 32

It's sad, 'cause you can't just talk to people, and therefore have a hard time making friends. Speaking of social anxiety, I find it hard even posting this comment... Weird, I know.

1 0
THE_A_TEEN 27

Why is that a problem? It's not like the op is going to comment on his/her fml.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#25 Sometimes the OP does comment on their own FML...

3 1
Epikouros 31

Yes, the OP can post on FML, because it's anonymous. Getting messages from people you know on Facebook is way more stressful if you have social anxiety.

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beansprouts 6

getting shit on by strangers helps social anxiety then?

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Epikouros 31

My guess is the OP will either not read the comments, or expect the worst and be pleasantly surprised.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

I have social anxiety too, OP. My social anxiety was once as bad as yours, so I totally know where you're coming from. Just think about this, though: if I was once as anxious as you but have gotten better (not completely better, but at least leaps and bounds better than I used to be) in the past few years, then so can you. I'm not saying you should immediately leap up and bound outside, ready to meet people and start spontaneous conversations. The way I've been helping myself is through little triumphs; add someone on Facebook. Go on a walk. Buy something at the grocery store. Go to the gym. Smile at someone. It's truly the little things, all added up, that add little bits of confidence. You start getting more and more used to being around people, talking to them, going outside, etc, until doing so gets less anxiety-inducing. It takes a long time to start feeling better (and you may never feel completely "normal"), but every little step you take is worth it. I also hate to suggest this, but being on medication for a short time really helped me. I don't suggest being on medication long-term, though. But it sedated me enough that I totally didn't care about making a fool of myself while interacting with people. After I stopped taking the medication, I realized that talking to people no longer made me shake uncontrollably and stutter. It's just a suggestion, though, as medication isn't for everyone. Sometimes when something like social anxiety is very severe, though, it's nice to have a little push to get us going towards becoming more confident.

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leadman1989 15

Translation for people who don't like to read well written and accurate post. Op smoke a bowl and chill!

1 3
nerdsgetmehot 22

I'm fairly certain that's not how I lessen my anxiety. :P Your post did make me laugh out loud, though.

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tona01 16

I have a question, social anxiety is a severe xase of shyness, right?

3 1
nerdsgetmehot 22

#103 Yes and no. Social anxiety is different from shyness. Shy people are timid, but people with social anxiety are anxious in social situations. Shyness doesn't necessarily have an anxiety aspect to it. They are similar, but social anxiety is an actual disorder.

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tona01 16

Ok thanks, i didn't know it was that bad

1 0
nerdsgetmehot 22

#131 I think a lot of people don't know it's that bad. I've heard that most people assume it's just shyness and therefore dismiss it as b.s. I really wish I could find a way to educate the public better on the subject.

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Malinkrot 3

For some people (like me), a combination of therapy and medication is the most beneficial. My therapist never "pushed" drugs, he suggested anti-anxiety meds because of the extreme physical reactions I got in social situations. If your therapist said that therapy is the only way to treat all problems, he/she is an idiot.

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tona01 16

Maybe you will, but the hard part is getting the people to care.

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nerdsgetmehot 22

#140 Gee, thanks? :/ And why the downvotes? Social anxiety isn't b.s.

2 0
mutyanak 2

we've all been there, in one way or another.

3 2
sciencekidster1 8

Hey, it's okay. I'm sure it's okay to add mom.

2 7